GOD GAME

Prologue

   I took quick and concentrated glances at the surrounding graphs and back at my notebook, writing down all the information I could in the time provided. I also listened to the monotonous AI drone about the time continuum and describing what each of the informative graphs were showing.

    "Hey, you. Boy with the grey button-up," stated the girl next to me. After a few seconds of waiting she poked me with a pencil.

    "Wh-what?" I responded still looking forward, surprised that anyone dared to talk during a lecture.

    "What's your name?" she asked.

    "Sh-shh. Don't talk d-during lectures," I stuttered, not used to conversation," t-talking lowers t-test scores..."

    "So?"

I tried to ignore her, hoping the AI would stop the nuisance.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," she nudged me with the pencil again.

"Shhhhhh!"

"What are you a printer? Are you trying to print something out of your mouth?"

"Wha? No, stop talking or we'll b-both get in trouble," I mumbled, finally turning towards her.

Clora ❻S Eros, she was the most intelligent student in our classes. I was surprised she hadn't already finished school but some people say she purposely puts down incorrect answers to questions on tests.

"Awww, I thought you were a human but I guess not..." she sighed and went to doodling in her notebook.
She had bright hair that almost glowed in the dim light of the room. Her eyes were a light blue. She was using a traditional, wooden pencil, they weren't good for note taking. I peered at her notebook and gasped. On the page she was working on alone was filled with amazing sketches of fauna and flora long extinct, all given life on the blank paper. I quickly turned my eyes back to my own paper and pencil, looking at the lines and words that littered it.

"Those drawing are... pretty..." I managed.

She turned her eyes back to mine.

"Hm?" she questioned.

"Um... n-never mind..."

She snorted, "Thank you... hey, what's your name?"

"A-alex. Alex Ruens."

"Well, nice to meet you Alex," she said putting out a hand," my name is Clora."

I stared at her outstretched hand carefully, confused.

"Here," she said as she took my hand and moved it slowly up and down,"Hand, shake."

"Handshake?"

"Pfft, yes Alex, handshake."

Ever since then we hung out after school, my parents only letting me because I told them Clora was tutoring me. Me and Clora became the best of friends, and she did teach me things even if we were goofing off most of the time.

"Alex, I'm going to tell you a super secret, secret." she told me one day.
"What?" I asked laughing.

"It's in here."

She pulled out a well-hidden box from under her bed, opening it carefully.

"The secret to my knowledge... it's."

She pulled out a game cartridge and headset from the box.

"A game?!" I said astonished. Games were banned everywhere, they distracted youth from school. Barely anyone knew about them because adults tried their best to hide such things from students' minds.

"Yep! But not any game. It's called God Game."

The cartridge had those words embedded on it, in threateningly large, bold lettering.